Pre-Chiropractic

SUNY Oneonta's Office of Health Careers provides specialized guidance and support for students preparing to apply to chiropractic school to be a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC).

What is Chiropractic Medicine?

"Chiropractic care (also simply ‘chiropractic’) is a health care discipline that emphasizes the inherent power of the body to heal itself without the use of drugs or surgery. It focuses on the relationship between the body’s structure (primarily the spine) and function (as coordinated by the nervous system) and how that relationship affects the preservation and restoration of health. When appropriate, Doctors of Chiropractic work in cooperation with the patient’s other health care practitioners.

Chiropractic doctors diagnose and treat patients whose health problems are associated with the body’s muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems. Chiropractors believe that interference with these systems can impair normal functioning, cause pain and lower resistance to disease. They are most well-known for the hands-on technique they practice to adjust imbalances in the patient’s skeletal system, particularly the spine."
- ExploreHealthCareers.org

Schedule a pre-health advising meeting:

Current students can schedule a meeting via Navigate
Alumni should email the Director for assistance

For general information about SUNY Oneonta, join our mailing list or contact our Admissions Team

Learn More

For additional information regarding schools of chiropractic medicine, visit DiscoverChiropractic.org.

Prerequisite Courses & Electives

Students must consult SUNY Oneonta's current undergraduate catalog for course descriptions, prerequisites, and time of year when courses are offered to plan properly in advance.

Prerequisites for Chiropractic School:

BIOL 1002: Cellular Perspectives in Biology
BIOL 3202: Human Anatomy & Physiology I
CHEM 1111: General Chemistry I
CHEM 2262: Essential Organic Chemistry
CHEM 3302: General Biochemistry
PHYS 1030: General Physics I (Non-Calculus)
STAT 1010: Introduction to Statistics

A minimum grade of C or higher is typically required in each prerequisite course, however grades of B or higher are recommended. Though a strong application includes a prerequisite and overall GPA greater than 3.0, programs are seeking applicants that are well-rounded in educational and life experience and can articulate an understanding of the career and vision for themselves in the Profession.

Doctorate Programs in Chiropractic Medicine may change course prerequisites at any time and may have additional requirements, preferences, or policies that are not reflected in this prerequisite course list or on the General Prerequisite List. Programs may also allow applicants to substitute courses or choose different prerequisites. Applicants should review the program-specific details and contact programs directly to determine whether a particular course will fulfill a prerequisite.

Students have the responsibility to check entrance requirements for schools to which they intend to apply.

Alumni Profile

Jadyn Hysack

When Jadyn Hysack learned about SUNY Oneonta’s pre-chiropractic program, she knew she wanted to take a crack at it. Having earned a bachelor’s in biology after a busy four years packed with classes, clubs and an internship, she is now continuing her spinal health studies at Northeast College of Health Sciences in Seneca Falls.

Educational Pathways for Health Professional School

Academic preparation for Health Professional School should include a strong background in the natural sciences with complementary coursework in the social sciences and humanities.

Students should familiarize themselves with the prerequisite course requirements within their intended health care discipline and the expectations of the schools to which they intend to apply.

Because the number of qualified applicants to healthcare professions school greatly exceeds the number of openings, satisfactory completion of the prerequisite courses does not guarantee acceptance by any health professional school.

Educational Programs in the healthcare professions are seeking the student who has a long record of consistently high-level performance, a deep understanding of their future role in the healthcare field obtained through volunteer or employment experience, and who exceeds in meeting core competencies for health care providers as evidenced in letters of evaluation from academic and professional references.

Chiropractic School Requirements

A minimum completion of 90 s.h. is required to apply to chiropractic schools and most chiropractic school entrants have completed a bachelor's degree.

Application

Application to Chiropractic School is completed via the individual school’s application portal.

Letters of Evaluation

Students generally request three letters of evaluation to be submitted on their behalf for chiropractic medicine program applications. Appropriate evaluators include science faculty, other course instructors, healthcare professionals, current or former employers, and professional references.